Introduction 3
Cyber Security: New Defense, Same Threats 5
Cybercrime 5
Cyber Security 6
Cyber Security Products on the Market 7
Fighting Back 9
The Government’s Role 9
Conclusion 10
References 12
Introduction
Self-defense is not a crime and never will it be. The reason why it exists or the existence of the idea of defenses itself however, now that is a crime. There will always be things out in the world and beyond it that can harm a person, a company or even a nation. These things may not meant to be a direct threat to the person, industry or any other group, but it may still bring harm upon others; the worst of these kinds of threats are those that are directed to intentionally harm someone, even worse are those that one does not see coming.
This blindness to the threat is the main strength of cyber-attacks towards its intended target; the fact that the person does not know when, how and possibly why the attack comes gives cyber-crimes its main edge. Another edge it has is the fact that these kinds of crime can be untraceable except to those who actually devote their time into studying the field and creating countermeasures.
With every crime comes its counterpart: security. In a world that is ruled by data and its trade, ensuring that the system is not being broken into and taken by the opposition is one of the most important aspects of life today. A personal account that is used to spread lies, a virus that deletes every single data that a firm has on record or worse, a program that shuts down the entire defense network of a country is more than enough to bring anyone to heel.
The first of the examples given above is quite common in the world today. An example of this can be found when the Twitter account of Burger King was broken into and was used to spread hilarious statements. While the event turned out to be good for the reputation of Burger King, the fact that someone was able to get in with relative ease into an account used for social interactions of the company for its customers is an IT and advertising department nightmare.
This is how cyber-security is very important to the world today. The example of a person hacking into the security of a nation is a scenario that is usually seen in fiction. This does not mean that it cannot happen however which makes cyber-security even more important. This importance is what leads to the writing of this paper. It will mainly cover the different aspects of cyber-security and the role of the federal government in its improvement. To better give the paper substance, real life examples will be used.
Cyber-security: New Defense, Same Threats
Threats to the safety of a person, be it in the social spectrum or the physical one, is not new to the human race. Death and gossip has been part of every human society in history. The threats posed by the digital age are no different than the threats of any other age in human history, but the way that these threats are carried out is. There is a common saying nowadays that everything online is permanent; even when the data has been deleted, the chances of it leaving behind a trace of its existence is still great, even greater is the chance that someone, somewhere at some other given time will try to do the same thing.
Cybercrime
The US Department of Justice classifies cybercrime in three different ways, attacking the computer or system of a person or group (an example of this is the spreading of a virus), using the computer as a weapon to inflict harm upon others in a more traditional sense. Not in the manner of tossing a computer at a person, but rather using the computer for more traditional crimes such as theft; and finally, using the computer or a system as an accessory to the crime such as a hard drive as an information deposit for data about a certain crime .
The main issue with solving cybercrimes is (as stated) they are of an evolving nature. Everyday new ways of breaking and protecting the law of cyberspace comes into play. Indeed the main hindrance in protecting people against a cybercrime is the difference in reach of law enforcement agencies and cyberspace. An example of this is that someone can get away with cybercrime simply by changing the domain of their website. Take for instance the use of the domain space “.su” .
A website using the .su suffix was able to publish the credit card records of the First Lady of the United States. The crime itself is not the problem that is under scrutiny in this paper, but rather the steps being taken to ensure that this will never happen again. Unfortunately, that guarantee is more likely to be empty that possible. Currently, steps are being taken to curb the use of the domain space, but this has proven to be slow .
The problem with cybercrime has even come to the point where the current president of the US (Barrack Obama) will be talking with the Chinese president (Xi Jinping) about the recent attacks on the computer systems of US companies and military sites. The results of the talk will most certainly have an effect on the relationship of the two nations, proving that cybercrime does have a large impact on many levels, including the international theater of politics and business .
Cyber-security
As the possibility of catching the perpetrator decreases drastically as soon as the crime is done and even more as time goes by, the best way to oppose cybercrime is to stop it from happening in the first place. This is the most important function of cyber-security. There are many steps that an individual can take to stop cybercrime, from something as simple as logging out from a network when not using it to keeping a password. Another more basic move that a larger group can take is in trusting the right people .
More often than not, cyber security focuses on threats from outside of the organization and not from within. If the system could be breached from inside, then there would be no need to try and break it from the outside. This is the main reason why well known intelligence moles such as Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames were able to do an enormous amount of irreparable damage
Recently, the research into cybercrime prevention has taken center stage on the international scale. Back in 2012, five leading companies in the technology field started up the Cyber Security Research Alliance. The alliance was created to focus on developing new ways to counter cybercrime as it is considered one of the greatest threats to the world in the 21st century. The alliance main objectives are to focus on solutions for “grand scale problems”, keep track of cyber security research and develop safer means of transferring technology .
This alliance is not the only research and development center for cyber security in the world however, there are plenty more such as the Cyber Security Research and Development Center and even Homeland Security has its own center for R&D in cyber security. However, research alone is not enough; there must be results and products of this development.
Cyber Security Products on the Market
While most of the products on the market do not come from government institutions, they are nevertheless effective in defending a person or a company from cybercrimes. An example of this product is the Helix3 Enterprise of the company “e-fense. On its advertising page, Helix3 Enterprise is said to help with its numerous features such as being able to track and review the internet use individual employees. This allows employers to see what websites and searchers that a computer has done which helps in tracing back a perpetrator of a cybercrime in a workspace .
Another product that is the fruit of R&D in cyber security is the GuardInQ of the company “Inquisitive Systems”. In a way, the program uses the same basis of DNA tracking in the real world where the program will monitor which data files that the hacker has gone into before alerting managers of the breach in security. While this may seem useless as it does not stop the crime, it does help in solving the crime as the program has been compared to a CCTV network in its way of monitoring the said breach .
Another product company that has its eyes on cyber security is Cyber Security Technologies which focuses on making products that are forensic in nature. An example of this is their OnLine Digital Forensic Suite (or OnLineDFS for short) which captures and scrutinizes volatile data for investigators. It is also designed for network investigations which allow the analysis of systems which may be remote or nearby .
In the end though, cyber security is not infallible. A person with enough knowledge of how the security works and how to overcome or trick it will be more than capable of getting away with the crime. This does not mean that people or groups should not invest in them however as preparing for the worst and it not happening than the worst happening and not being prepared for it.
Fighting back
Stopping the crime from happening is not always enough. If the criminal is not identified the first time, he/she may try to do it again to someone else or to even the same person or group with a more sophisticated method. Thankfully, it has been shown that cybercriminals are more focused on the attack rather than the defense. This in turn works in tracking them down.
More often than not, a cybercriminal will use a readily available malware program on the market of the internet rather than make their own. As this type of business is shoddy in its nature, the programs sold are usually not tested or still filled with bugs and vulnerabilities that most do not take the time to fix. This has been used against them numerous times .
Another example of fighting back is seen in the technology and concepts created and thought about for the security of people in the world. Such as in embedded and mobile systems. As the world is becoming more and more wireless, the growing number of wireless users increases the chances of someone breaking into a system and disappearing without a trace. Systems developed in this field will allow security in a person’s gadget without fear of it being used by someone else for a more nefarious purpose .
The Government’s Role
A specific individual is not the only user of computers, neither are companies, governments also use and rely on technology and the speed of cyberspace to pass on and keep information that safeguards its citizens. As such, it is not unexpected that the government is also involved in the research and development of countermeasures for cybercrime as they too are also vulnerable to its effects in an even greater degree as a security breach in their system means problems for many people.
A given example of this is seen in the fact that current president Obama wishes to speak to the Chinese president about the breach in cyber security where evidence points to the Chinese government as the culprit . Another example is the fact that the President has also declared that cybercrime is one of the greatest threats to the nation’s security and has decided to take measures against it .
There are a number of problems with the government’s involvement of course. The first and foremost of this is the fact that it will take time for the different agencies to get themselves up to speed with what is happening. Second is the fact that the US in not in any way ready for a cyber-war. Another is the fact that there have been no great change in the framework of cyber security in the country which will most likely give hackers time to adapt to the new system that might be placed .
While these may be problems in the short run, the long run benefits of government involvement should not be taken for granted. The fact is that the government has deeper pockets and more reasons to keep the program alive which in turn will keep them invested. Again, to better give substance to this claim, one merely has to look at the president’s response to the cyber-attacks to be sure that this is not an issue that the government takes lightly .
Conclusion
As the world becomes more reliant on technology for its sustainability, it is not unexpected that the computers and the cyberspace will be disappearing anytime soon. The threats that cyberspace brings is not new, but the solutions to the problems must be as they evolve as fast as (and possibly even faster) than the countermeasures created to prevent the crimes.
In a way, the game of cat and mouse in different fields of crime is also permeable in cybercrimes. Law enforcement agencies will keep trying to catch the criminals while the criminals will keep trying to elude their pursuers . Everyday new technology is created to counter cybercrime while everyday new technology is also created to counter said security.
Crime itself will always be part of society, as it is derived from wanting something that others have, but this does not mean that it should be allowed to happen. As long as there is a shred of decency in anyone, crimes can be prevented or at least finding and using an opportunity to shield oneself from it.
In conclusion, cyber security will most likely be part of everyday living until such time that technology is no longer needed by the human race, which is a very unlikely prospect if what is happening in the world today is to be taken as evidence.
References
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